Your Hunting Rifle

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brybenn said:
Reliability and it must point where I look when I bring it up. Sure I like more higher end stuff but my traditions buckstalker 50 cal is by far the must inaccurate gun I own. Often 5" group at 100 yards for 5 shots. However it fits perfect and I can drop whitetails with it in the woods like I'm shooting rabbits with a scattergun. 4 of my top 5 whitetails were shot with that rifle. So I'd say there's a case for shootability

Other than that it's if I want it. If it brings me happiness in ownership the experience is justified the expense
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Accurate enough for the job kinda depends on the job, don't it? :) That must be fun.

A Win 94 in 30/30 or similar is considered the woods gun for a lot of folk, and I doubt any of em are gonna beat a 5" group at 100 yards from the position they actually shoot from in the woods, likely standing, so hey.
 
Top three things for a rifle are
1: I must be able to shoot it accurately within an instant from any position that presents itself, with irons or scope.
2: it must be chambered in a cartridge I can handle with my dilapidated old bones, which means an '06 and smaller sized case and 180 grains or less- preferably less.
3: I must be able to carry it comfortably all day ( see #2!)

Bottom three deal breakers are.
1 brakes
2: big cased cartridges in rifles with recoil that kills at both ends.
3:Chassis style stocks with pistol grips and big azzed magazines
Cat
 
Hmmm lots a great posts that already covers the essentials!
For me, I like classic lines, wood stock, blued metal! Needs to carry well, shoulder easily, be comfortable no matter the caliber it’s in! Need to be reliable, shootable and accurate( minute of moose, bison, sheep, grouse etc) as to please the eyes and more importantly you mine! As to be in a caliber I believe in!

Deal breaker, easy; plastic, chassis, no open sights, brake, ugly and magnums!
 
My hunting rifles are mainly: stainless barrels coated, shoot below 1/2", removeable magazines mainly aics, carbon fibre stocks, S&B PMII scopes. Summer foxing/crows rifles have lighter 6.5-20x50 Zeiss on 223 and 22-250 otherwise the same.
Don't like wooden stocks apart from my shot guns and 30-30 open sight. Don't like heavy barrels, draw the line at medium weight and two with carbon barrels.
Our hunting terrain is between dense wood to open areas and longer shots across valleys.
edi
 
All guns and calibres are the same, fit and finish and reliability mean nothing. As long as you can haul it to.your lawnchair on the soybean field it's fine. Anything else is being a snob
 
MK2750 said:
Predicable accuracy out of a cold barrel.

As light to carry as an upland bird gun.

30-06
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Been reading debate lately on whether a cold bore shot is truly a cold bore or cold shooter issue. Interesting stuff.

Clean bore being outside of the group, that ones a lot more for sure. But cold?

For example

ht tps://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/cold-bore-or-cold-shooter.4047138/
 
For a pure hunting rifle, this is my favourite. A 7MM Remington Magnum. It is utterly reliable. Has a barrel no longer than 24” that does not sport a brake, has a stock that is completely inert that is designed to point where you are looking whether offhand, prone, or anywhere in between. It has a scope that weighs less than a pound, and has never lost zero. There are no turrets to deal with, or objective lenses big enough to trip over. It is consistently accurate, and has a trigger that is fantastic at 2.5lbs. At 8.5lbs loaded and slung it balances perfectly.

But that’s my choice. Not anyone else’s.

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Function and reliability above all else. Fit / ergonomics / handling is also essential. Chambered for a cartridge I'm currently interested in. Style / artistry in form certainly is important, perhaps most important after the essentials are taken care of.
I'm done with "just good enough" and "as cheap as possible" My hunting rifles now tend to be works of superbly functional and aesthetically pleasing art. A few are historic, a few modern, and they represent every action type.
 
Ardent said:
Good iron sights, points at what I was looking at when I shoulder and it’s and a double, Model 70, M77, or M98. Fit and pointability are my main factors, in actions I like.
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Ardent, are there any actions which have given you troubles on your adventures/work?
 
Depends on what you are hunting...

1 - Dangerous Game - IE Bears, Hogs (in the usa) - Marlin 45-70. Very Reliable and reliable large round
2 - Lots of hiking for Deer, Elk, Goat (Hogs if in the USA) - Tavor 7 in .308. Very Reliable and durable. Compact form (16.5" barrel, 26.75" overall length)
3 - Most Birds - Berretta A400 Xtreme Plus 12GA. Very reliable and configurable.
4 - Small Game & Carry - Henry Axe .410 and possibly a red dot or scope. Very reliable, small and easy to carry.
5 - Small Varmit - Henry .22LR

Accessories/Mod vary between hunting rifles, terrain, etc.

I'm not saying those are the best, it depends on terrain, animal, etc
 
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Joel said:
Ardent, are there any actions which have given you troubles on your adventures/work?
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Seen things I don’t like and consider far from ideal, most concerns were cartridge and bullet choice related not what it was fired from. Seen a rough chamber that got grabby but wasn’t a show stopper but highly annoying, and a bolt handle that wasn’t soldered completely flush where it meets the bolt body (on a 2003-2005 vintage M700 SPS). I’m not a fan of the Rem trigger and safety when it’s behind you and you. A Glock (4th Gen) that rusted significantly in salt spray, more than a blued Merkel double treated with the same oil, and had a hang up as a result. Few other minor things, it’s a pretty boring list.

Overall though, most issues were handloads, and loose optics mounts. Both human factors.
 
Thanks! Appreciate it. Renember the Glock and a rusted out/gritted up mossberg 590 in the "my work guns" thread. Always cool to hear how things hold up under heavy/professional use.
 
Top 3: 1) Dependability 2) Accuracy 3) Good Fit for ME
Bottom 1) Cheap and plasticy feel (not all synthetics are bad - but most are) 2) Overly heavy 3) Poor reputation for quality and service

Stock = walnut (I do have a quality stainless/synthetic rifle for hunting in really bad weather)
Trigger = it's a hunting rifle, so a "decent" trigger is good enough
Colour = blued steel (see comment above re. stainless)
Weight = as light as it can be without sacrificing durability, accuracy and balance - this can be tricky
Barrel = depends on chambering - eg. a 300mag is going to have a longer barrel than a 243
Mfg = Pre-64 or 90s onward Winchester

I've had rifles fail at the WRONG moment, so I'm partial to controlled feed actions.

That's my list
 
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